Is pretest probability assessment on emergency department patients with suspected venous thromboembolism documented before SimpliRED D-dimer testing?

Background: The SimpliRED D-dimer assay is commonly ordered by emergency physicians for suspected pulmonary embolus or deep venous thrombosis. A pretest probability (PTP) assessment is required for the results of this diagnostic test to be interpreted correctly and applied appropriately. Without this assessment, the physician may misinterpret the test results and proceed to unnecessary diagnostic imaging (DI) or inappropriate discharge.

Evidence-based emergency medicine/critically appraised topic. Thrombolytic therapy for submassive pulmonary embolism?

Study Objective: The purpose of this review was to determine the effectiveness of adding thrombolytics to standard heparin therapy for treatment of submassive pulmonary embolism. Patients with submassive pulmonary embolism were considered to be those with evidence of right ventricular dysfunction but without hemodynamic instability.

Methods: We searched for trials comparing thrombolytics to heparin in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and EMBASE.